Four people are dead and 19 more have been hospitalized following a listeria outbreak connected to recalled ready-to-eat pasta meals sold at grocery stores across the country, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced.
As of Sept. 30, there have been 20 confirmed cases of listeria poisoning in connection with the outbreak across 15 states. The outbreak is linked to recalled ready-to-eat pasta meals sold at Walmart, Trader Joe’s, Kroger and Albertsons stores.
The listeria outbreak was initially announced in June by the CDC, when they began investigating reports of the illness. On Sept. 25, the Food Safety and Inspection Service issued a public health alert for ready-to-eat pasta meals that may be contaminated with listeria.
Where did people get sick?
Deaths took place in Illinois, Michigan, Texas and Utah, including one pregnancy-associated illness which resulted in a fetal loss.
Infections from the outbreak were confirmed in: California (2 cases), Florida (1 case), Illinois (1 case), Indiana (1 case), Louisiana (2 cases), Michigan (2 cases), Minnesota (1 case), Missouri (1 case), Nevada (1 case), North Carolina (1 case), Ohio (1 case), South Carolina (1 case), Texas (3 cases), Utah (1 case) and Virginia (1 case).
The numbers mentioned only cover known cases and may not represent the entire extent of the outbreak, according to the CDC.
Which products are affected?
Albertsons: Albertsons Companies’ ready-to-eat pasta salads were sold at Albertsons and associated stores with best-by dates of Sept. 8-29, in the following states: Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Louisiana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Texas, Utah and Wyoming.
The full list of recalled products and more information can be found here.
Trader Joe’s: Cajun-style blackened chicken breast fettuccine alfredo with best-by dates of Sept. 20, Sept. 24 and Sept. 27, were sold in the following states: Arizona, California, Nevada, New Mexico and Utah.
More information on the recall can be found here.
Walmart: Marketside Linguine with Beef Meatballs & Marinara Sauce with best-by dates of Sept. 22 through Oct. 1 were sold in Walmart stores around the country.
More information on the recall can be found here.
Kroger and Walmart: Marketside Grilled Chicken Alfredo with Fettuccine and Home Chef Heat & Eat Chicken Fettuccine Alfredo with best-by dates between June 19-27.
More information on the recall can be found here.
What is listeria poisoning?
Listeria infections occur when the Listeria monocytogenes bacterium contaminates food, which a person then consumes.
According to the CDC, symptoms may include:
Fever
Muscle aches
Headache
Stiff neck
Confusion
Loss of balance
Convulsions
Diarrhea
Other gastrointestinal symptoms
Miscarriage, stillbirth, premature delivery and/or life-threatening infection of newborn infants
Death
Those at higher risk of becoming seriously ill or facing death from such an infection include pregnant women, individuals over the age of 65 and people with weakened immune systems.
